Jim Henson's The Storyteller – Greek Myths [DVD]

Description

Product description Jim Henson’s Storyteller: Greek Myths (The Co
One of Jim Henson’s finest hours was the Storyteller series that aired on HBO
in 1987. As with his other non-Muppet creations (Labyrinth), Henson fills the
screen with wonderful creatures that have a wisp of a J.R.R. Tolkien fantasy.
Half of the eight-part series was adapted from Greek myths by Anthony
Minghella, who became an Oscar-winning filmmaker a decade later with The
English Patient. Minghella weaves the narration of the storyteller (a sturdy
and wonderful Michael Gambon, accompanied by a scene-stealing dog) with
dialogue from the stories to beguiling effect. By nature, the Greek myth
episodes are a bit more mature and downbeat (ages 8 and older) than the rest
of the series, yet give the audience lasting impressions of oft-quoted tales.
In “Perseus and the Gorgon,” King Argos locks away his wife when it is
foretold his future son will kill him. Soon mother and son (Perseus, fathered
by none other than Zeus) are washed ashore and another angry king looks to
take away Perseus’s mother. How can Perseus win the day? By killing the evil
Gorgon whose snake-covered head includes eyes that turn humans into statues.
Derek Jacobi stars as the brilliant Greek designer in the second tale,
“Daedalus and Icarus.” The father goes through many hardships, including the
famous episode of his son flying too close to the sun. All is not well and
does not end well. John Madden (Shakespeare in Love) directs the tale of
“Theseus and the Minotaur.” A young man reunites with his father, King Aegeus,
but is cursed by his witch of a stepmother (literally). When Theseus tries to
stop the regular sacrifice to the half-bull, half-man Minotaur, a new curse
awaits the young prince. The magical musician Orpheus (Art Malik) finds his
muse in “Orpheus and Eurydice.” Unfortunately, she soon dies and goes to Hades
where Orpheus follows, attempting to win her soul from the devil himself.
–Doug Thomas

Features:

Product Details:

• Genre: Fantasy
• Format: DVD, Dolby, Closed-captioned, NTSC, Color, Full Screen
• Contributor: Brian Henson, Anthony Minghella, David Greenaway, Michael Gambon
• Language: English
• Runtime: 1 hour and 35 minutes
• Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 1.33:1
• Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
• Package Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.56 x 5.31 x 0.55 inches; 2.88 Ounces
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ DVD, Dolby, Closed-captioned, NTSC, Color, Full Screen
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 35 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ September 7, 2004
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Michael Gambon, Brian Henson, David Greenaway
• Language ‏ : ‎ English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
• Studio ‏ : ‎ Sony Pictures Home Entertainment